The present invention relates to disposable bags and, more particularly, to a disposable bag and mounting apparatus for mounting the disposable bag to a lawn mower or other debris collecting device.
The present invention is applicable not only to lawn mowers, but also to any exhausting devices which cut, mulch, or collect a product and create either refuse or by-product which needs to be stored or disposed of.
A number of devices are known in the art for collecting grass clippings in a disposable bag in order to reduce the amount of labor involved in collecting, bagging, and disposing of grass clippings or the like.
One known device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,186,546 to Machado et al. That patent discloses a disposable bag with ventilating holes.
Another device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,030,273 to Leader. That patent discloses a lawn mower equipped with a bagging chute for delivering grass clippings to a disposable plastic or paper bag having air ventilating holes. The mouth of the bag is attached to the chute with a cord, and the bottom of the bag is supported by a platform which is an extension of the chute housing.
Another device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,251,982 to Skaja et al. That patent discloses a grass catching accessory attachable to a rotary power lawn mower, the device including a basket in which a plastic trash can liner is placed and a box shaped spout mounted to the mower having a tubular mouthpiece around which the bag mouth is fitted.
Those devices suffer from a number of defects preventing their commercial success. Among other problems, those known bags have ventilation holes which permit collected debris to fly into the face of an operator of the device.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a disposable bag that is easier to handle and which suppresses dust and other debris which would otherwise interfere with the operator of the device while at the same time providing adequate breathing characteristics.
Another object is to use the mower's own handlebars to support the disposable bag.
Another object is to provide a disposable bag made of transparent or translucent material so that the user may observe the grass collection process and determine when the bag has been filled to capacity in order to know with certainty when to change the bag and thus avoid overfilling and grass buildup and congestion in the mower.
Still another object is to provide a connecting device which conforms and attaches in a stable fashion to the discharge chute of the lawn mower or other exhausting device.
Another object is to provide a connecting device which redirects the airflow coming out of the exhausting device discharge chute in order to provide optimum air path characteristics to ensure that the disposable bag fills from the back of the bag to the front of the bag in an even and distributive fashion.
Still another object is to provide a connector which enhances and amplifies airflow to promote efficient filling and packing in the disposable bag.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a supporting apparatus for the disposable bag which includes a protective barrier between the bag and the user, which barrier "breaths" so as not to suppress the venting function of the disposable bag.
Another object is to provide a supporting device which flexes as the exhausting device passes over rough ground and which can also bend to accommodate storage of the exhausting device when, for example, the user pivots the exhausting device handlebars forward over the device when not in use.
Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and attained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims.